Dreamstime Reviews 

I am literally enjoying working on dreamstime and especially their bonus program which keeps contributors motivated. Loving it

As an author, I will say that I am very satisfied with the speed of receiving royalties.

I've just rated Dreamstime a well-deserved 5 stars. As a creator, their platform genuinely feels like it was built with us in mind.

The standout feature is their lightning-fast content review system. The almost zero waiting time for approval is a game-changer—it keeps my workflow moving and motivation high.

The technical side is equally impressive. The FTP uploading system is robust and reliable, and the dual metadata collection (through their smart AI and embedded file data) saves me hours of manual entry. It’s clear they invest in smart tools that respect a contributor's time.

Beyond the tools, being invited to be an exclusive contributor was a true honor. It shows they value and recognize their creators, fostering a real sense of partnership. While I'm still eagerly awaiting my first sale, the platform's professionalism and support give me great confidence and hope for the future.

For any creator looking for an efficient, modern, and respectful stock platform, Dreamstime is a top-tier choice. Highly recommended.

From a creator's standpoint, the earnings and provisions are decent, the site has easy-to-use functions and is very overlookable.
However on the downside, there is still no possibility to arrange images of one theme in albums (only lightboxes that don't follow the same logic), which is a standard with all competitors I've tested in the past. Furthermore, the upload AI sometimes does strange things. But what is really annoying is that the description field can neither handle special characters, nor is the maximum amount of characters stated. You'll simply notice at some point that half the text is cut off. I for one found a workaround for the issue, but it always adds an extra effort.

This is something I wish to be improved in the future to make contributing easier.

I wanted to download a vector EPS map. I selected EPS from the download options and was then directed to the purchasing page, which included a 7-day trial option. I chose the trial, created an account, and entered my bank details without any issues.

However, when I returned to the page to download the EPS vector file, the option had disappeared. In fact, the EPS option was missing from every item on the site. Even after logging out, the option still didn’t reappear. Trying a different browser had no success either.

I eventually had to access the site from a completely different IP address for the EPS download option to show up again but of course when i logged in again it had gone. It seems Dreamstime doesn't want me to download vector files at all.

A very frustrating waste of my time.

EDIT after response: It doesn't make it clear that I will not be able to download any vector files, so it was a complete waste of time me setting up an account. Then to compound the problem you remove the option even for when I'm logged out, logging my IP address and preventing me seeing the option based on that. What is really stupid is if you hadn't been so underhand about it and made it clear to begin with I would have gone ahead and bought it but as there was no way of doing so, I bought it elsewhere.

Fake 7/6 days so called free trial .. to get you card detail.. The free trial wont let you use any of your free credit without getting a paid subscription = Misrepresentation bad practice .
If your are courageous to continue and get a paid subscription, and even there nothing works.
A real scam.. and a disgrace tor people making art using there service to license it.

edit: I read your reply.. Still trying to be able to download some art while having 2 subscriptions and plenty of credit.. sill ask me to sell me the same subscription I already subscribed twice..

Edit 2: (change note from 1 to 3 stars) after contacting the support I was able to get a refund.. The buying process is really confusing it states you have credits but they are not the same credits that the one used to buy image rights to dl.. not sure if I fully understand how it works.. you guys really should make it simpler for people willing to pay.

Edit 3: bump to 4 stars.
so here is the deal there web site is pretty bad, it really hard to understand what you need to pay, what substitution do.. etc.. either I stupid or it is deliberately confusing .
BUT after I complained, there customer support (based in the US) was just perfect. So while I still think there web site is a 2, or 3.. They are not a scam and there support is actually very helpful ah hyper reactive

it fast gives a good overview, and is easy to use

Unfortunately, I can't give a high rating because of the small number of sales. Now I don't work much, but before I uploaded works regularly, but sales were also small. But working and uploading with you is very convenient and pleasant. I wish you and me success!

SCAM AVOID. STOLE £23 FROM MY BANK WITHOUT PERMISSION

Very good experience, I'm a contributor since 2008 and never had a problem, keep up the good job!

I joined Dreamstime as a contributor back in 2008, and the experience started on a promising note. In the early years, my portfolio received steady visibility and consistent sales, which gave me confidence in the platform. However, things changed drastically over time.

Despite continuing to upload quality photographs and illustrations — many of which perform extremely well on other major stock platforms like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock — my results on Dreamstime declined sharply. Sales slowed to one per month, then one every few months, and eventually became so infrequent that it felt like the platform’s algorithm no longer surfaced my work at all.

After 17 years on Dreamstime, my total earnings still sit at just $78.53. To put that into perspective, the same type of content has generated far more returns elsewhere. The platform’s unusually high payout threshold only adds to the frustration, especially when most competitors allow contributors to withdraw at much lower amounts.

I’ve experimented with keywords, descriptions, categories, and trends — but nothing has improved visibility or sales. At this point, it’s hard not to feel that Dreamstime simply isn’t contributor-friendly anymore.

In my experience, Dreamstime may have been a solid platform in the late 2000s, but today it lags significantly behind other agencies in both exposure and earnings potential. For new contributors evaluating where to invest their time and creative energy, Dreamstime would not be my first recommendation.

I use stock images to capture characters for my writing. So having the ability to search on specific genres and models is very useful. The same is true for the photographers as well.

Very good for selling images and artwork

The upload process for contributor is out of date, old fashion, not smart, annoy >>> Need to improve UX. When the world is moving, thanks God, Dreamstime is still in its dream

I have been selling photos on Dreamstime com for around 10 years and are happy with the company. Their payout system is always quick and efficient. An increase in sales commission paid would be appreciated.

easy to find what you need
free images available

Very few sales. Files are accepted very quickly.

The quality and extensive variety helps make my job of finding quality graphics so much easier.

Despite typing in the exact keywords used in the title and description, several of my photos never appear when searching, even after looking through a thousand results.

Dreamstime answer is a form letter answer. The photos I’m speaking about have been posted for months…